


Nar Shaddaa

by anch_io



Series: Scraps and Mando [2]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, TW: Hostage Situation, part of a series, tw: choking, written between chapter 10 and 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29037432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anch_io/pseuds/anch_io
Summary: This is part of the series "Sorry, I don't speak Mando'a" and describes how Mando and Scraps (reader/oc) first met. It was written and posted between Chapters 10 and 11.
Relationships: Din Djarin/OC, Din Djarin/Reader
Series: Scraps and Mando [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2130246
Kudos: 40





	Nar Shaddaa

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This one-shot takes place before Chapter 1 of Sorry, I don’t speak Mando’a and describes how Mando and Scraps first met and became partners. It does have some spoilers for what I’ve already written, and minor details from this will end up in later chapters as well, just as a heads up! I’m working on Chapter 11 and hope to have that posted soon as well. I hope you enjoy it! Have a great night!

_Maker, I fucking hate Nar Shaddaa,_ you thought as you walked to the garage, hands firmly in your pockets and a scowl on your face. You didn’t think a planet could be worse than the eternal boredom that was Tatooine. After spending over a decade there, you thought anything would be an improvement over the endless sand, wind, and poverty.

Apparently endless filth, nightlife, and lawlessness was _not_ an improvement.

After you got your license to practice ship-mending legally, you had (naively) assumed that everything would fall into place. You would get your license, find a garage on an unassuming planet far from the Core and any remnants of the Empire, and work until you died. Unbothered and alone, but _free_. Maybe get a house, some plants, a pet? You didn’t know the specifics, but the dream was there. 

After all, there wasn’t much you could do without alerting the Empire or the Republic of your existence. A run of your DNA could potentially bring up your original chain code, and a run of your birth-name would _definitely_ bring up your original chain code, brightly bearing the words “ _Property of the Galactic Empire_ ” underneath your old name. This was the hardest obstacle to hurdle when you left Tatooine. Using a new (illegally) purchased chain code keyed to your DNA and a fake name, you were able to fly under the radar all the way through the certification program and through your travels that ultimately led you here - this absolute garbage pile of a planet that you _hated_ and couldn’t wait to get off of. You’ve been saving credits as much as possible just to get a secure flight to … somewhere. You didn’t know for sure yet, just anywhere but here.

Sighing, you unlocked the backdoor to the garage you’ve been working (haunting) at since you got here a few months ago. Today was starting off as well as it could be; you woke up on time and weren’t harassed on your way to work. You also knew that no one would be coming in until the late afternoon, so you had a chance to relax and work by yourself. _Thank the Maker._

Walking inside, you were immediately met with the sight of a still-smoking ship, the ramp fully extended but crooked. Upon further inspection you saw one of the landing legs had been crushed and wasn’t supporting its quarter of the ship, causing it to dip dangerously to the left.

“Holy shit…” you muttered to yourself, taking a step forward. _Maker, what idiot was piloting this thing? I can see the carbon-scoring from here, the supportive legs are trashed, the side panels are dented… How did anyone manage to make it here without depressurizing? How irresponsible can you get -_

An angry voice behind you startled you, making you jump and whirl around.

“I’ve been waiting here for six hours.” The speaker was a Mandalorian, leaning against a workbench along the wall with his arms crossed. His helmet was tilted in a way that felt menacing.

_Six hours? It’s morning, so he’s been waiting all night. I’m surprised he’s still here, he must be desperate._ Remembering the state of his ship, you snarked to yourself, _Oh yeah, definitely desperate._

You mentally prepped yourself to deal with yet another pissed off customer. _Don’t let him push you around,_ you thought as you schooled your face into an unimpressed scowl, _You’ll get eaten alive on this planet if you show weakness._

“Yeah?” you said roughly, “How’s that my fault?”

“This is _your_ garage,” he bit back, stepping forward towards you, “Your coworker accepted this job and bailed. _Six hours ago_.”

You huffed and crossed your arms to match his. “First off pal, this isn’t _my_ garage. It’s owned by the Hutts, just like the rest of the planet. They just let us use it for a cut of the profit. And second, all my coworkers are morons with no respect for the craft.” 

He scoffed and said, “And I suppose you’re any better?”

You put a hand to your chest and said sarcastically, “Your words wound me. Truly.” Turning back to his ship, you started really assessing the damage. It was … extensive, to say the least. It was also clear that the Mandalorian hadn’t brought the ship in for repairs for quite some time, there would be no way to get damages like this all at once without the ship falling to pieces. 

Smirking to yourself, you thought about one of Peli’s first lessons in fixing ships. _Now remember, Scraps, while it’s important to make repairs and make sure you leave your customer satisfied, I have an even bigger priority for you._

At this next part, she leaned in with a mischievous grin.

_Run them for all they got._

Pulling out your handheld assessment tool, you started laying it on thick. “ _Oh yeah_ , that’ll need to be replaced. The cockpit windows are cracked, that’ll need to be replaced too. The landing gear needs a lot of work. Those need to be rotated - ”

“I just need to get out of here,” the Mandalorian said flatly, stopping you before you could even really get started.

Sighing, you faced him again, more serious this time, and said, “What’s your definition of ‘getting out of here’?”

You could tell by the change in his body language that he was irritated with you, probably thought you were still trying to play him. Putting up a hand to stop him, you said, “I mean, there’s a lot of work that needs to get done. It looks like most things are at least a little broken, and I haven’t even assessed the interior yet.”

Sighing and scuffing your boot on the ground, you said, “I can fix the landing gear, I can fix the dented panels, I can fix the _cracked window_ ,” you pointed to the cockpit for emphasis, “but I gotta tell you, if there are more serious issues than that then I might not have the equipment necessary to repair it. Nar Shaddaa isn’t known for its garages, I’ll say that much. Then the question becomes what you can do without: the guns, the artificial gravity, the hyperdrive.”

He looked more defeated at that. He sighed and tiredly asked, “What do you suggest?”

You took a moment to think, and then said, “How about this. I’ll give it a once-over, let you know what I find, and if there is anything flight-or-life-threatening, we’ll discuss it. Okay?”

He nodded silently, and you grabbed your gloves and goggles to get to work.

* * *

When you finally jumped off the ramp and started peeling off your gloves, the Mandalorian walked towards you expectantly. 

You shook your head and said, “I wish I was messing with you, but there is a _lot_ wrong.” When he didn’t say anything, you continued. “The autopilot system works, but the landing protocol won’t work while the legs are as broken as they are. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem, considering you landed it here in the first place. The cockpit window is cracked, and needs to be replaced eventually, but I can seal it with an epoxy that will last you to a better garage. The dents are simple, they just need a reheating and they can be bent back into place. You have a lot of wires that could stand to be replaced, but they’ll last for a while yet.”

Here you took a breath, and continued to the really bad news.

“You have two major issues. The hyperdrive is functional, but the automatic coolant system is not. It will have to be operated manually for it not to overheat and explode. That means that you’ll need someone to constantly be working with it while the ship flies. The other thing - ” At this you winced and lowered your voice, forcing the Mandalorian to lean in, “I couldn’t help but notice your, uh, _cargo_?”

He caught on immediately to what you were referring to: the bounties frozen in carbonite he had on board.

“Now that usually isn’t a problem,” you said, “but with so many of the automatic processes failing, I’m worried that the carbonite freezing protocol will fail too and reverse itself.”

He nodded and said seriously, “What do you think the chances of that happening are?”

“Low,” you said honestly, “but not zero. Regardless, unless you want to limp to a planet for weeks on end going sub-light, you’ll need a co-pilot to safely fly.” You exhaled harshly. “Either way, I can get started on the small stuff.”

As you started walking towards your workbench, your mind already starting to run with the repairs, the Mandalorian’s voice stopped you.

“Would you be willing to co-pilot my ship to handle the hyperdrive?”

You slowly turned back around. He was standing in as neutral pose as possible, probably trying to convince you that he wasn’t a threat. After all, he was proposing that you travel with him, a complete stranger, on a damaged ship through space for an indeterminate amount of time. That, and he clearly had experience capturing and/or killing people, if the vicious looking quarries in his ship were any indication.

When you didn’t answer, he continued, “I would be willing to compensate you for the work. Handsomely.”

_Hm…_ you thought, staring at him and pressing a fist to your mouth, _A Mandalorian. They’re fearsome warriors, he would be able to ward off any rogue attackers or wildlife we came across. However, that means he could hand my own ass to me ten different ways without breaking a sweat. A Mandalorian bounty hunter. He’d always be moving, never staying in the same place for too long, and he should have steady income as crime continues to rise since the fall of the Empire. However, if he ever found out I’m an escaped Imperial slave he could turn me in for a good chunk of credits. Though I love the irony of being an Imperial criminal hiding right under a bounty hunter’s nose, like hiding in plain sight. A Mandalorian bounty hunter with his own ship. A ship that’s pre-Empire, and can’t be traced by Imperials or the New Republic. That’s pretty hard to pass up on its own. A Mandalorian bounty hunter with his own ship and a lot of money. Maker, you had me at money._

_Not to mention_ , you thought as you took a deep breath, _I’m ready to get the hell off of Nar Shaddaa. And,_ you caught the way the Mandalorian nervously clenched his fists at his sides, _he must know that there isn’t really anyone else he can ask, not on this lawless planet. Looks like I have all the cards._

“Tell you what,” you said simply, shifting your stance to face him completely, “I’ll keep you from blowing up and act as your co-pilot. _But_ ,” here you paused to get his full attention, “I want off this rock. Permanently. If you can pay me for my work and are willing to drop me off where I ask, then I will help you.”

He sighed, but he seemed resigned. “What is your rate?”

You laughed and said with a savage grin, “Oh, this is the part you are _not_ going to like.”

* * *

In the end, it only took you a few hours to make the necessary fixes. You had preemptively grabbed your meager belongings before starting the work, so the second you finished you were ready to board and get the hell out of there.

“Ready, Mr. Mandalorian?” you called into the ship as you started climbing the now straightened ramp.

He gave a tilt of his helmet, but that wasn’t too much to go off of.

“What, are you annoyed?” you said. He didn’t respond, which made you a little nervous, so you began to ramble. “Was it the ‘mister’ thing? Was that rude? I apologize if it was, but you didn’t exactly give me anything to work with. You know, like a name. Or are you pissed that you have to pay me a fair rate?”

He huffed and said a monotone, “Nothing about your rate was _fair_.” Sighing, he said, “If you need to call me something, Mando works fine.”

You paused, then said, “As in short for ‘Mandalorian’?”

He nodded silently. You laughed once and said, “Alright, Mando. The name is Engineer. Eng if you’re feeling adventurous.”

He sighed again, then silently went up to the cockpit. You paid the exasperated man no heed and made your way to the underbelly of the ship, where the hyperdrive’s coolant system was located. The two of you had discussed the game plan while you were fixing up the ship (the _Razor Crest_ , you reminded yourself). Since his destination of Nevarro wasn’t too far, barely two day’s trip at light-speed, you both decided to tag team watching the hyperdrive’s cooler. He would pilot you out of there, then switch with you after a few hours. After you arrived there, he’d take you wherever you want.

_...Where do I want to go?_ You honestly didn’t know, didn’t think you’d get off Nar Shaddaa so quickly. _Oh well, I’ll figure it out soon. I have a job to do._ To get to the hyperdrive, you were forced to walk past the carbonite freezer and the bounties slotted within it. Avoiding looking at it, you thought, _Maker, that’s so creepy._

Mando’s voice came through on the comm at your hip, warning you he was about to enter hyperspace. You immediately began manually cooling the hyperdrive, watching as the temperature spiked dangerously when it came to life before reaching normal range. It made your heart race, but after the first hour you think you had it down to a science. Every five minutes you flipped a certain series of switches that cycled the cooling fluid. Honestly, it wasn’t as complicated as you thought it would be; to make it even easier, you set a repeating timer so you could space out in peace.

After a few hours of this, Mando’s voice once again came from your hip. 

“ _Do you need a break?_ ”

You depressed a button and answered, “Not yet, thank you though, Mando.” He didn’t say anything after that, so you opted to stay silent as well. 

* * *

Another hour passed, and you realized you needed to use the fresher. _Okay, I’ll cycle the fluid and move quickly, no problem. I still have the timer, I should be back before I need to recycle it_. When the timer went off, you cycled the coolant and power-walked towards the center of the ship. You tried to ignore the creepy frozen quarries lining the wall, but something caught your attention out of the corner of your eye.

You turned back to the quarries and saw two bounties lining the walls, still frozen. It felt … wrong. 

Empty.

_Were there always two?_

Quickly, you fumbled for your comm and spoke into it. “Mando, how many bounties were on your ship?”

“ _Three_.”

You felt your heart skip a beat. “Fuck,” you sighed shakily, “You’re missing one.”

“ _Which one?_ ” he asked you urgently, you could already hear him making his way over from the other side of the ship.

“How the hell should I know?” you shot back. _There’s a criminal loose in this godforsaken ship, Maker this is not good - !_

Mando quickly rounded the corner and walked down the hall to look at the quarries that were still there. He swore harshly.

“I was afraid of that,” he said darkly.

Your heart was thundering in your chest. “Who is it?”

“A Twi’lek named Qin,” he informed you, already looking around the ship for any sign of him, “He’s dangerous, and he’ll be angry. We need to find him.”

“Okay, okay,” you said nervously, “Listen, I-I need to check the other bounties and the carbonite freezer to make sure it’s still functional, and I need to keep the hyperdrive cool. Will you be able to handle this while I do that?”

“Yes,” he said firmly, and without another word he started scouring the ship for the missing bounty.

As soon as Mando left, you felt hypersensitive to every sound in the ship and every movement out of the corner of your eye. The beating of your heart was deafening, and your hands were shaking as you manually restarted the freezer.

_Oh sure, Scraps, travel with a Mandalorian who had a faulty carbonite freezer that you didn’t even BOTHER to check until hours into the trip. Genius! One day your bad memory is going to get you killed._

“Okay,” you said to yourself. The freezer was operational again. When Mando found his bounty, at least now he’d have a place to put him. You moved quickly to check the other two; their vitals showed they were still alive in there, and the temperature gauge was in the appropriate range. _They shouldn’t unfreeze suddenly, I’ll have to keep an eye on them regardless._

You paused to quickly check the timer; there was still a minute left, more than enough time to get down and cycle the coolant - 

“Don’t make a sound.”

Holding completely still, you slowly turned your head to the left, seeing a very pissed looking Twi’lek holding a blaster at your eye level. _He must’ve stolen that from Mando’s gun cabinet,_ you mind supplied unhelpfully. You started to subtly move your hand to depress the comm and alert Mando to what was happening. Judging by the self-satisfied smirk he had on his face, you thought he wouldn’t notice you moving as long as you didn’t flaunt it. Blindly feeling for the button, you managed to jam it down, locking it in place. _Maker, thank you for your kind mercy, now please help me get out of this!_

He looked you up and down, sizing you up, and ordered, “Put your hands up.”

Compiling silently, you raised them. He continued, quickly jerking the blaster towards the ground in front of him and said, “Get over here. You’re my hostage.”

_Okay, Scraps,_ you thought quickly, _He doesn’t seem very bright, maybe you can weasel your way out of this._

Putting on the facade you perfected on Nar Shaddaa, you said cockily, “Believe me, I won’t make a good hostage. I was unfrozen before you, he won’t hesitate to shoot both of us. The Hutts won’t care if I’m dead or alive.”

He seemed skeptical, but was clearly considering if you were telling the truth or not. He demanded, “What were you doing with the carbonite freezer?”

You laughed condescendingly and, keeping your hands up, you said, “Sabotaging it. I’d prefer not to be stuck in there a second time.” You shifted your weight between your feet, trying to work off some of the nerves you were feeling in a nondescript way. “Listen, Twi’lek. There’s two of us and one of him. We can take him by surprise and commandeer this whole ship. It’ll be _easy_ , what’d you say?”

He seemed to be more swayed, and looked like he was really considering believing in you and taking you up on your offer. _C’mon, Qin, please take the bait -_

\- and then the alarm beeped.

His eyes narrowed, and you tried your best to keep your face neutral. _Don’t get caught, Scraps._

“And what would that be?” he asked aggressively, doubt clear on his face. _Crap, crap, crap -_

“That’s my alarm to wake up, it must’ve survived the freeze,” you tried to say flatly, but something in your tone or face must have tipped him off. _That, or he’s too paranoid given the situation,_ you thought, inwardly cringing, knowing this won’t work, just trying to buy time.

_Come on, Mando, where the hell are you?!_

He sneered at you, hissing, “ _Liar_.”

He rushed forward, grabbing one of your arms to yank you in front of him. He laid one of his big forearms tightly across your neck, his free hand holding the blaster against your head. You started to struggle by instinct, but he was stronger than you were. All the while, the alarm continued to beep.

“Wait, wait!” you said, “I need - to cool - the _h-hyperdrive!_ ”

“Not my problem,” he said roughly, dragging you towards the center of the ship, tightening his grip on your neck.

“It - will - be - your - problem - _asshole_!” you struggled to say, coughing and gasping. “ _We’ll - all - blow - up!_ ”

He snarled and jammed the end of the blaster into your temple, yelling, “I’d rather be dead than in prison!”

“Stop, Qin.”

Whirling the two of you around, you tried to stay upright as stars creeped into your vision. You saw Mando not ten yards away, blaster in hand, stance calm.

“No,” Qin said aggressively, once again pressing the blaster against your head, “I’m not going to prison, you filthy _traitor_.”

“Let her go, Qin,” Mando said, “This is your last chance.”

“If I see your finger so much as twitch, I’ll shoot her I swear,” he spat back, and out of the corner of your eye you could see him already start to pull the trigger. Your heart stuttered, and although you tried to keep calm, you could feel the panic starting to bleed into your face. You looked back to Mando, trying to communicate with him silently. _He’s not kidding, Mando! He’s really going to - !_

Mando, without further prompt, took the shot. The stunning blot raced past your ear and right into Qin’s face. You waited for the pain, or to literally meet your Maker, but nothing happened. You fell backwards with Qin, his arm still tight around your neck. To your surprise, however, you weren’t dead. Hardly injured, even if your throat hurt and your ear did burn a bit. _Was Mando really that much faster?_

Shoving Qin’s arm off of you and gasping to recover your breath, you struggled to speak, “Hy- _hyperdrive_ \- ”

“I cycled it,” Mando said, “That’s why I was late. That was smart, using the comm and distracting him.”

Nodding, relieved, and still trying to catch your breath, you started to struggle to your feet. You felt Mando grab your arm to help you up, but in a sudden and fierce rush of anger you shoved him off.

“Don’t!” you snapped, coughing for a few moments before recovering enough to say savagely, “And don’t expect a thank you, since you gambled with _my life_. Real classy, _jerk_.”

He looked a bit shocked at your hostile tone, and you continued. “What were you thinking? He could’ve killed me! What makes you so self-assured, huh?”

He didn’t react, just said simply, “His blaster had no charges.”

You froze, and then eloquently said, “What?”

“His blaster had no charges,” he repeated, leaning down to pick up the gun he had, passing it to you. Turning it in your hands, you saw that Mando was right; it didn’t have any charges to shoot with, stunning or otherwise.

“How,” you said slowly, confused, handing it back to him, “How did you know that?”

“Because the only gun on this ship with any charges was in my holster,” he said, gesturing to the one he had just used on Qin. Mando then moved to deadlift the unconscious Twi’lek back into the freezer.

“Do you keep all your guns empty when you store them?” you asked, still confused, watching as the carbon gas froze Qin once again.

He turned to you, and with a tilt of his head you couldn’t decipher he said, “You said there was a chance of the carbonite freezing reversing. I thought it’d be safer to take the charges out of the guns in my cabinet in case one of them got loose.”

“Oh,” you said weakly. So you weren’t in any danger. _Well,_ you thought, your throat still aching at being manhandled, _I wasn’t in any danger of being shot, at least._

“Why wouldn’t you tell me that?” you asked, still confused, but quickly rationalized it out loud. “ _Oh_ , I see. I could’ve stolen one and threatened you with it. That’s why the only gun with any charges was with you. I was your only choice for a co-pilot, but that didn’t mean you trusted me enough not to shoot you or try anything else.” You laughed, and said, “Apparently, you trusted me enough not to kill us all by overloading the hyperdrive, though. Kind of ironic.” 

When he didn’t say anything, you rambled on. “Can’t say I blame you for that one, though. I mean, you did meet me on Nar Shaddaa, which is like the worst planet in the universe with the worst people _ever_. Like my coworkers. My coworkers were _terrible_ ; they had no respect for anyone or anything. Though, I guess, you probably figured that out after they ditched you - ”

Mando interrupted you, saying flatly, “Do you usually talk this much?”

“Hey, watch it” you warned him, but your voice cracked weakly when you tried to speak at a higher volume, “Not my fault I have to talk enough for the both of us. I was staring at a wall in silence for like six hours before I was attacked by that insanely buff Twi’lek, and I’ll tell you from experience that walls are not good conversationalists.”

He didn’t respond to that, so you decided to press your luck and said, “Though you’re not much better than a wall right now.”

He _still_ didn’t respond. Sighing, you tried to clear the air. “Really, though, thank you Mando. It would’ve sucked to get choked to death, so thanks for ... ” stuttering off awkwardly, you finished with, “ … not letting me get choked to death.”

He nodded and wordlessly walked back to the cockpit. Sighing, you ran your hands over your hair. _Smooth, Scraps._ Taking a deep breath, you let it go slowly, tilting your head back to the ceiling. _Don’t worry too much, we’re almost at the next finish line. Soon you’ll be getting dropped off on a nice planet. Who knows, maybe there’ll be nice scenery, maybe some mountains, like Aviva. Soon, you won’t have to worry about anything but yourself._

You tried to ignore the little pang of loneliness you felt.

* * *

When you switched out with Mando to take a break, you found you couldn’t sit or sleep, the boredom eating away at your nerves. So, you decided to fix up some of the wiring issues he had. Free of charge. Starting with recasing and organizing the mess of wires that controlled the lighting and heating. The work was meticulous and time consuming, but it should save him a lot of time when he needed to do any repairs. You even added _labels_. Maker, you were practically a _saint_. 

You were so engrossed in your work - laying on your back on the floor, your head stuffed inside an access panel - that you didn’t immediately notice Mando standing nearby. It was him clearing his throat that finally caught your attention.

Peeking out, you saw him standing off to the side, holding a ration pack and a cup of water. _Not sure how he’s going to eat that with the helmet in the way,_ you thought wryly to yourself.

“Hey Mando,” you said, sliding out from the panel and making your way to your feet, “What’s up?”

“What are you doing?” he asked, but he didn’t sound angry or suspicious, just curious. Maybe the tiniest bit threatening, but you had a feeling that had to do with the lack of a face to interpret and a voice modulator making him sound more robotic.

“Oh,” you said, gesturing vaguely to the rewiring you’d been working on, “Well, you did me a favor earlier by saving my ass, so I thought I’d do you a favor back. No charge, lucky you.”

Instead of answering you verbally, he handed you the rations and water. You were surprised, and before you could stop yourself you blurted out, “These for me?”

“Yes.”

You smiled at his visor and said, “Thanks, Mando.” Splitting the package open, you said lightheartedly, “I would offer to share, but something tells me you’ll turn it down, right?”

Again, he offered up a simple, “Yes.” 

As he started to walk back towards the hyperdrive, a small smile made its way on your face. Looking at the provisions he left for you, you thought, _Maybe he’s not such a hardass after all_.

* * *

You did manage to take a nap, but you woke up still feeling tired, your head pounding in sync with your throat. _Jeez, the Twi’lek must’ve roughed me up worse than I thought._ You groaned when you struggled to your feet, making your way down to the hyperdrive to switch off with Mando.

Strolling down the hall that led to the cooling system - and confirming that all three bounties were still frozen - you caught sight of Mando. He was casually sitting on the floor, head tilted back to rest on the wall behind him.

“Hey, ready to take a break?” you asked him, a yawn punctuating the end of your sentence.

He tilted his head to the side to look at you and said, “No, I’m alright.”

You nodded and silently sat on the floor on the opposite side of the hall a few feet down from him, too awake to fall back asleep and too bored to sit in the kitchenette or cockpit by yourself. He glanced over at you, but predictably stayed quiet, the only sounds he made were of his armor shifting when he stood up to cycle the coolant.

The silence was comfortable, but it made the time crawl by. _Maker, we’ve been in this rickety-ass ship for so long, I can’t wait to touch down on Nevarro and get some fresh air. Wait, what’s the environment on Nevarro like? Hopefully it’s nice and cool and has a lot of water. I haven’t seen rain in years. Who knows, maybe if it’s nice enough I can settle down there. Mando did say that the garages there were good enough to fix all these damages, so they’re clearly fully equipped. Maybe they could use another set of hands on deck._ Glancing over at Mando, you decided to try and make conversation.

“Hey Mando?” you asked. He turned his head to look at you, and you took that as the go-ahead to continue. “What’s Nevarro like?”

He considered it for a moment, and then said, “Dusty. Dry. Hot. It sits near a lava river.”

You sighed, letting your head tilt back and rest against the wall. “Maker, that’s disappointing.”

“Disappointing?” he asked, and you couldn’t help but focus on how raspy his voice sounded through the modulator. _I wonder what his normal voice sounds like,_ you thought carelessly, and immediately reprimanded yourself. _That’s his business, be respectful._

“Yeah,” you drew out, glancing back in his direction, “I was hoping for a more hydrated planet to stop at.”

“Not a fan of the desert?” he asked, shifting his position to face you a bit more.

You were thrilled he was finally making conversation. Smiling, you said, “Not really, I’d had my fill of it. What about you?”

He shrugged and said, “I don’t mind it. Does that mean you’re looking for a water-based planet?”

Humming, you said, “Not sure. I’m still figuring it out.”

“I thought you knew where you wanted to go,” he said, unimpressed.

Before you could answer, the alarm at Mando’s hip sounded. He started to move to stand up, but you waved him to sit back down to do it yourself. While you worked the hyperdrive, you answered, “Well, I wasn’t expecting to get off Nar Shaddaa so soon. I hadn’t put too much thought into where I was going yet.”

He looked back at you once you sat down and asked, “Have you given it any more thought?”

You laughed awkwardly and shook your head, “No, but don’t worry, I’ll figure it out soon.”

He nodded, and you both fell into another comfortable silence.

* * *

You were watching the hyperdrive while Mando watched the navigation in the cockpit. Nevarro was only a handful of minutes away now and you needed to ensure that the hyperdrive didn’t react when you left the jump.

He gave you a warning through your comm and you watched the gauges carefully, pleased when they stayed consistent and began cooling down. You let out a sigh of relief and made your way to the cockpit, taking a seat in the co-pilot’s chair. Looking through the viewport you could see that Nevarro really was a dustball like Mando was saying. _Maker, it’s no better than Tatooine, just my luck,_ you thought, sighing quietly and buckling yourself in for the descent to the surface. Mando steered the ship to land next to a garage, a team of mechanics already making their way out to talk repairs with him. 

“Tell you what,” you said as the two of you stood up to make your way outside, “I can coordinate repairs with these guys if you need to take care of your bounties and other business.”

He looked at you out of the corner of his eye (helmet?) and said, “You sure?”

You shrugged and said, “I ain’t got shit else to do, Mando. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your ship.”

He nodded and stalked off, cape swaying behind him. You chuckled to yourself, _how dramatic._

* * *

The crew at the garage on Nevarro were so much better than the people you worked with on Nar Shaddaa, you couldn’t believe it. They actually _listened_ to you; one of them even handed you a wrench when you asked for it! You didn’t think you’d been this productive in months. A few hours passed quickly, and Mando swung back around while you were polishing off the hyperdrive’s automatic cooling protocol. 

“Hey Mando! All wrapped up?” you asked, wiping grease from your gloves onto a rag you slung over your shoulder.

He nodded. “How are the repairs going?”

You sighed happily and said, “Perfectly. The garage here has so much more than what I was making due with before; we should be wrapping up the major repairs sometime tomorrow.”

He hummed and asked, “Have you thought about where you’d like to go?”

You winced. You had, but you were coming up woefully short on ideas. _I can’t go to the Core and I can’t go to any Outer Rim planet with an Imperial remnant, but it’s impossible to know where they are. The only planet I know well is Tatooine, but I’ll be damned if I went to all this trouble to end up back there._ Sighing heavily, you said, “Yeah, I have. Nothing’s come to mind yet, sorry.”

He didn’t speak for a moment, then said, “Then how about I make you an offer.”

You looked at him expectantly, and he continued. “I know it’s unconventional for engineers to be free-lance, but I could use someone with your skill. I can pay you well for your work.”

You were pleasantly surprised by the offer. _It would suck to be a free-lance engineer,_ you thought, pressing a fist to your mouth as your mind moved rapidly, _I’d have to make due using whatever is on hand and using other peoples’ garages for a fee whenever we’re planetside for major repairs. We’d be stuck in the ship most of the time and wouldn’t have much space to ourselves, but the ship_ is _pre-Empire, which is great for not being found. That, with all the moving around we’ll be doing, should be enough for me to stay off the Empire’s grid for a long time. That’s hard enough to pass up on its own. It would be hard and sometimes bitter work, but for steady pay and a chance to see more of the galaxy? It sounds pretty nice._

Your eye caught the glint of harsh sunlight on Mando’s helmet, and suddenly you were struck with another train of thought entirely. _Would he be comfortable having someone in his personal space so much? I heard that Mandalorians can’t take their helmets in front of others. How would he eat when I’m there? I don’t want to make him uncomfortable in his own ship. Then again, he’s the one who offered me a job, so he must’ve thought it through…_

Looking at his visor you asked, “Can I ask you a question?” When he nodded, you continued. “Are you sure you want a crew member? I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you or make you uncomfortable in your ship because of...” you petered off awkwardly, gesturing towards his helmet.

“That won’t be a problem,” he said simply.

_I mean, if he’s fine with it..._

“Then I think you’ve almost gotten yourself a deal,” you said with a grin, “There’s just the small matter of my _rate_.”

He sighed loudly, and you couldn’t help laughing. The two of you bartered the fine details while you helped finish up repairs, and by the time the ship was fully functional again the two of you were in total agreement. You both left Nevarro with the hope it would be the beginning of a long and lucrative partnership.

**Author's Note:**

> Stay safe out there!


End file.
